Zach Hall on Monday Morning at the White House

Zach Hall, the first president of the California stem cell agency and now a director of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, attended the ceremonies at the White House on Monday. Here is his account of the event and some of its implications. Our thanks to Hall (pictured at left) for providing the article.

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On a soft spring morning, a distinguished and festive group gathered at the East Entrance to the White House. It was a gathering of the tribe of embryonic stem cell research supporters – scientists, Washington officials, patients, and patient advocates, many of whom had been working for years for the day when the Presidential restrictions on stem cell research would be lifted. As we waited, we greeted colleagues, shared our excitement about the event, and began the first round of picture-taking. California was well-represented, with stem cell scientists Irv Weissman and Renee Reijo-Pera from Stanford; Bob Klein, Chairman of CIRM and author of Proposition 71; and CEO Tom Okarma from Geron. Leading stem cell scientists Jamie Thomson from Wisconsin, Shinya Yamanaka from the Gladstone Institute and Japan, John Gearhart from Pennsylvania and George Daley from Harvard were there, as were several Nobel Prize winners (Mike Bishop from UCSF, Steven Chu, the new Secretary of Energy, Robert Horvitz, Eric Kandel, Harold Varmus, Peter Agre) and other scientific notables (Bruce Alberts, Eric Lander, Francis Collins). Among the California patient advocates were long-time stem cell advocates, Roman Reed and his parents, Gloria and Don, and Katie Hood of the Michael J. Fox Foundation. A number of those present (Alta Charo, Clive Svenson, John Wagner, Janet Rowland) are well-known to CIRM as members of its Working Groups.

After passing through security, we entered the White House and, after a brief wait, streamed into the East Room where we were joined by a Congressional delegation including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Diane Feinstein and Representative Henry Waxman from California, Senators Tom Harkin and Orrin Hatch, and Representatives Mike Castle and Diana DeGette. One entire wall was packed with TV cameramen, journalists and photographers, whose presence was made evident throughout the event by the constant chorus of camera clicks.

The ceremony began with the entry of seven distinguished scientists, Nobelists and others, who would stand behind President Obama as he signed the Executive Order for embryonic stem cell research and the Memorandum on scientific integrity, their presence a clear signal of the importance of science to his administration.

The President entered, bounding onto the stage to a prolonged standing ovation. His first words were: “Well, I’m excited, too.” His speech was firm, clear and thoughtful, with the eloquence that we have come to expect from him. He was enthusiastic, but appropriately cautious about the promise of stem cell research, recognizing that “there is no finish line in the work of science.” He acknowledged and expressed respect for those who oppose the research, but cited the strong majority of Americans who believe the research should go forward. President Obama then adroitly tied the reversal of the presidential restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research to his effort to restore scientific integrity to government, to listen to scientists even when (“especially when,” as he added) it is inconvenient, and to “make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology.” Needless to say, these words were warmly received by those present. The President ended with a tribute to Christopher and Dana Reeve and to the many people who have worked tirelessly on behalf of embryonic stem cell research.

The President then moved to the desk and signed the documents using multiple pens, as is the custom. “I’ve learned to extend my signature,” he said. After shaking the hands of those near the front (I was delighted to be one of them), the President left. Still excited and savoring the moment, the group lingered, reluctant to leave, until White House attendants pointed us to the door.

The President’s remarks, as well as the stem cell document itself, contained several small surprises. The general expectation among the stem cell community was that the Executive Order would permit federal funding of research on stem cell lines as long as they were made from surplus IVF embryos using money from private or state sources. The Executive Order, however, makes no specific mention of what can and cannot be funded, but directs the NIH to provide guidance on that point within 120 days, in light of “widely recognized guidelines.” This leaves open the possibility that the NIH could fund research on embryonic stem cell lines made by other means, including somatic cell nuclear transfer, as long as federal money was not used to make the lines. The use of federal funds to actually make stem cell lines is, in any case, illegal under the Dickey-Wicker amendment which prohibits any research that results in harm or destruction of a human embryo.

The second issue concerns whether or not legislation is desirable. The White House had indicated previously that this was a matter for the Congress to decide, but in his speech he suggested that his former colleagues “still have plenty of work to do.” Presumably this is encouragement to pass a new version of the Castle-DeGette bill, which allows federal funding for new lines made from IVF embryos, but might be taken as a reference to the Dickey-Wicker amendment. A legislative battle over Dickey-Wicker would be much more difficult and more polarizing than a revised Castle-DeGette bill.

In the end, one can only admire the President’s eagerness to engage the scientific community in solving the many problems that the nation faces, the use of stem cells among them. To be there as a scientist, among so many distinguished colleagues and supporters of biomedical research, and to see the President demonstrate his commitment to our shared enterprise, both in word and deed, was truly inspiring. I felt privileged to be at the White House on this historic occasion.

Fresh Comment

“David” has posted a fresh comment on the “Dual Vice Chairs” item, pointing out that other state constitutional officers nominated Art Torres for vice chair of CIRM in addition to state Treasurer Bill Lockyer.

Audiocast Available for CIRM Board Session Thursday

Here is a reminder that Thursday's CIRM board meeting can be heard by dialing in 866-254-5934 or using this Internet address – http://65.197.1.15/att/confcast The access code is 991416. The audiocasts do not provide for participation, however.

The public can hear AND participate in the Sacramento meeting at teleconference locations in Southern California, including the City of Hope, the Salk Institute and two in Los Angeles, one at UCLA and one at the office of CIRM director Jonathan Shestack. Specific addresses can be found on the agenda.

Dual Vice Chairs Coming Up for CIRM -- One From the World of Politics, One From Business

With less than 24 hours remaining before Thursday's meeting of the CIRM board of directors, the agency has begun unveiling a plan aimed at keeping two big dogs of California politics quite happy.

The matter involves the election of a vice chairperson for the CIRM board as well as the wishes of Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic State Treasurer Bill Lockyer. While the scheme may satisfy those two, it was called “ridiculous” by one longtime CIRM observer.

The governor has nominated Duane Roth, a current member of the CIRM board of directors and an executive with close ties to the biomedical industry, for the vice chair slot. Lockyer has nominated state Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres, a friend and former state legislator.

The governor has been a good ally for CIRM and loaned it $150 million in state funds a few years ago during the agency's first financial crunch. Lockyer controls the issuance of state bonds, which are the only significant source of funds for CIRM. He is a key player in the agency's current plans to market state bonds privately.

The CIRM board is set to elect both men to vice chair positions at its meeting Thursday in Sacramento. That became clear this morning when the agency posted proposed changes in bylaws that create a “statutory” vice chair and a “bylaws” vice chair.

It appears that Torres will be elected to the statutory slot because it carries a salary, which he said he needs. Roth has declined a salary.

The CIRM board is also scheduled to reduce the salary for the vice chair from its current range of $180,000 to $332,000 a year. The agency has not yet posted information on its plan, but we believe the new range to be roughly $75,000 to $90,000. CIRM Chairman Robert Klein is paid $150,000 for his halftime position. It is not clear at this point whether Torres will be designated halftime.

In response to a query, John M. Simpson, stem cell project director of Consumer Watchdog of Santa Monica, said,

“This is a ridiculous attempt to try and please both the governor and the treasurer. It’s also an insult to the candidates who were originally nominated and faced a real election when the (CIRM board) was first organized. Suppose next time there are four different candidates for chair. Do they create a 'statutory' chair and three bylaws co-chairs? I’ve got a modest proposal: Really please everyone and name 28 'bylaws' vice chairs.”

We are reserving comment on the deal at this point. But the bylaws changes were posted extremely late. They contain no explanation, context, justification or further details. The result is that the public and interested parties are effectively denied the right to comment intelligently or register their comments in the presence of the CIRM board of directors. Failure to provide details about the plan in a timely fashion is certainly a violation of the spirit of the California state Constitution, which guarantees a broadly construed right of access to information about issues before government agencies.

Fresh Comments

John M. Simpson of Consumer Watchdog has filed a comment on the “Shifting Sands” item. “Realtor in Toronto” has filed a comment on the “Obama Snippets” item.

The NY Times, CIRM and Shifting Sands

The financial woes at the California stem cell agency vaulted today onto the pages of the august New York Times. It was not a story that necessarily will find favor at CIRM.

Written by Andrew Pollack, the piece said that President Obama's actions “could cause state governments and philanthropists to pull back on billions of dollars they have pledged for such work.”

Pollack discussed the California research effort as a case study in how the shifting sands of science are moving in one major arena.

Pollack said Obama's action has removed the original reason for the creation of CIRM. He reported as well that hard economic times have hammered foundations and the wealthy donors, now not so wealthy.

Pollack covered familiar ground for this blog's readers on CIRM's financial plight as well as its plans to privately market $400 million in state bonds so that it does not run out of money late this year.

He noted that CIRM is turning towards the biotech industry, a move that came under fire last week at a hearing on the CIRM stategic plan at the City of Hope. Its CEO, Michael Friedman, sits on the CIRM board. Pollack quoted Linda Iverson, a neuroscientist at the City of Hope, as saying at the hearing.

“To use taxpayer money essentially as venture capital money is beyond the pale.”

Pollack continued,

“Alan Trounson, CIRM’s president, responded by saying Californians had approved the $3 billion effort to develop therapies, 'not just to get the work in scientific journals.'“

Pollack concluded,

“In the meantime, 'a lot of people are running on fumes in their labs,' said Jeanne F. Loring, director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego.

Even with the federal financing restrictions lifted, Dr. Loring said, “We need CIRM.”

Pollack's story was measured and fair, but by raising at a national level questions about CIRM, it adds to the burden that the agency faces while it tries to sell bonds.

With the exception of reports by Terri Somers at the San Diego Union-Tribune, no daily California newspaper has written in such detail about CIRM finances. It goes without saying that a total vacuum exists on television and radio.

The NY Times story may trigger some additional coverage. But given the gloomy state of the newspaper business, the tales of CIRM and its travails are likely to vanish once again into a media black hole in the near future.

Snippets from Obama Stem Cell Media Coverage

Here are some tidbits from the vast coverage of President Obama's stem cell ceremony on Monday.

Nicholas Wade of the New York Times wrote:

“Members of Congress and advocates for fighting diseases have long spoken of human embryonic stem cell research as if it were a sure avenue to quick cures for intractable afflictions. Scientists have not publicly objected to such high-flown hopes, which have helped fuel new sources of grant money like the $3 billion initiative in California for stem cell research.

“In private, however, many researchers have projected much more modest goals for embryonic stem cells. Their chief interest is to derive embryonic stem cell lines from patients with specific diseases, and by tracking the cells in the test tube to develop basic knowledge about how the disease develops.

“...(M)any scientists believe that putting stem-cell-derived tissues into patients lies a long way off. Embryonic stem cells have their drawbacks. They cause tumors, and the adult cells derived from them may be rejected by the patient’s immune system. Furthermore, whatever disease process caused the patients’ tissue cells to die is likely to kill introduced cells as well. All these problems may be solvable, but so far none have been solved.”

Rob Stein of the Washington Post wrote about the job facing the NIH.

“The task of deciding what kinds of studies will be supported now falls to the National Institutes of Health, which finds itself confronting far more extensive questions than its officials were contemplating. It has 120 days to do the job.

“Among other things, officials will have to decide whether to endorse studies on cells obtained from much more contentious sources, such as embryos created specifically for research or by means of cloning techniques. “

Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times carried, on her blog, a list of guests at the Obama ceremony. They included Zach Hall, first president of CIRM, and other Californians tied to the state's stem cell agency. The list did not include CIRM Chairman Robert Klein, but other stories indicated that he attended. The current CIRM president, Alan Trounson, was invited but did not attend.

Reporter Terri Somers of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Klein was at the ceremony and reported that he said the door is now open for more collaboration between California scientists and those in other states.

Somers also wrote:

“At a 'Free the Stem Cells' breakfast at the home of researcher Jeanne Loring of The Scripps Research Institute, scientists gathered to watch the event and toast Obama. Some were moved to tears, Loring said, because the president's actions validated research to which they have dedicated their careers.”

Fresh Comment

“Anonymous” has filed another comment on the “CIRM calendar” item.

The remarks include the following, which is hard to disagree with:

“This calendar project may be an example of exactly the types of expenditures (multiplied over and over) which create the state's budget shortfall in the first place. State agencies should not spend money just because they can; government at CIRM, and at all other levels, have a responsibility to look at each expenditure with a critical eye toward whether the expense is fundamentally necessary and if so, insure the State's statutes governing the acquisition of goods and services are being complied with. CIRM is not a private enterprise, instead it should always be mindful that it is funded with real taxpayer dollars.”

Fresh Comment

“Anonymous” has filed comment on the “CIRM calendar” item asking about state bidding procedures and public records. We have filed a response.

Fresh Comment

“VoicedUp” has left a comment on the “Obama Chapter 5” item.

Waiting for Obama, Chapter 5 -- Be Careful What You Wish For

Some of the California reaction today to President Obama's action on stem cell research indirectly highlighted potential side effects that might make the state's stem cell agency uneasy – not to mention the biotech industry.

With the feds back in the game, they may not look kindly on wildcat activities out in fringy California and elsewhere. Turf does, in fact, matter. Moreover, with Congress now back in the stem cell legislation business, to borrow from one oldtime political commentator, no one is safe.

Consider the comment from John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for Consumer Watchdog of Santa Monica, Ca. He issued a call for the feds to act to ensure that taxpayers share in any profit generated by stem cell therapies developed with government funds.

In a letter to President Obama, Consumer Watchdog cited the profit-sharing model at CIRM and said,

“Celebrating the change in policy is not enough, however. It is now necessary, more than ever, to examine the regulations governing the way federal funds are distributed to researchers. A change in those rules is needed and we call on you to work with Congress to implement reform of the Bayh-Dole Act.”

Businesses in California have taken issue with CIRM's profit-sharing rules, but the state agency has now broken the Bayh-Dole ice. The precedent in California will help fuel efforts to make changes in the federal law.

From Oakland, Ca., came another call for federal action that could have an impact on CIRM. Marcy Darnovsky, associate executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society, said the national government should enact enforceable rules for all stem cell research, public and private. Such rules would supersede those in California.

Jesse Reynolds, policy director of the center, said,

"We've seen what happens with inadequate regulation and oversight in the financial sector. The human biotechnology sector also needs effective public policy."

The Dickey-Wicker amendment is already on the table in Congress. It could become the vehicle for a host of challenges to the established order in the biotech business.

More Than You Want to Know about CIRM's Cash Crisis

An overview by yours truly of the financial situation at the California stem cell agency was published today by the FierceBioResearcher newsletter. You can find the piece here.

FierceBioResearcher reports that it has more than 65,000 industry email subscribers and 410,000 monthly page views.

Here are additional links on the subject of CIRM finances, which will come up at Thursday's meeting of the CIRM board.

An overview on the California Stem Cell Report of the situation including Power Point presentations by a top CIRM official.

CIRM´s only statement on its web site concerning its financial status.

An assessment of the January briefing by John M. Simpson, stem cell project director of Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica, Ca., nonprofit, and a longtime CIRM observer.

The CIRM transcript from the briefing.

Waiting for Obama Chapter 4 -- Political Thorns and hESC

The No. 2 story this evening on the web site of the New York Times is not one that will necessarily please the most avid advocates of human embryonic stem cell research.

Written by Sheryl Gay Stolberg, the article said,

“President Obama intends to avoid the thorniest question in the debate: whether taxpayer dollars should be used to experiment on embryos themselves, two senior administration officials said Sunday.”

Stolberg wrote about a legal prohibition that is generally subsumed in mainstream media reports on hESC research. She said,

“The ban, known as the Dickey-Wicker amendment, first became law in 1996, and has been renewed by Congress every year since. It specifically bans the use of tax dollars to create human embryos — a practice that is routine in private fertility clinics — or for research in which embryos are destroyed, discarded or knowingly subjected to risk of injury."

Stolberg continued,

“Mr. Obama has not taken a position on the ban and does not intend to, Melody C. Barnes, his chief domestic policy adviser, said Sunday. The president believes stem cell research 'should be done in compliance with federal law,' she said, adding that Mr. Obama recognizes the divisiveness of the issue.

“'We are committed to pursuing stem cell research quite responsibly but we recognize there are a range of beliefs on this,' Ms. Barnes said.”

Stolberg wrote,

“A senior House Democratic leadership aide, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the issue, said overturning the ban 'would be difficult, but not impossible,' adding, 'It’s not something that we would do right away, but it’s something that we would look at.”

Hear CIRM Board Live on its Financial Woes and Politically Charged Election of Vice Chair

This week's meeting of the board of directors of the $3 billion California stem cell agency, which will include an update on its financial woes, will be available live via telephone and the Internet.

The audiocast is the second for the CIRM board and provides a valuable opportunity for public and those affected by the agency's actions to hear first hand its deliberations and actions.

In addition to a briefing by CIRM Chairman Robert Klein on his efforts to peddle state bonds privately, the board is expected to choose a new vice chairman, probably two, in fact. You can find the politically charged details here involving Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic State Treasurer Bill Lockyer.

According to the agenda, part of the vice chairman deal now involves an unspecified reduction in the salary range for the position, which currently is $180,000 to $332,000 annually.

Klein, a millionaire real estate investment banker, receives $150,000 for what the board has defined as a half-time job.

The board will also consider unspecified changes at the top of the CIRM organizational chart in connection with the new vice chairmen or whatever the designation for the posts will be.

None of the details are available on the agenda although the meeting is only three days away. Based on past performance, a strong likelihood exists that the public will be denied access to the proposals in advance of the meeting.

Also scheduled for board action are staff recommendations on research funding priorities that reflect that CIRM will run out of cash by next fall unless bonds are sold. The agency has not released anything beyond a cryptic agenda item on that matter.

Another topic before the board is the actual funding of $58 million in training grants approved in January. The board delayed delivery of the cash in light of CIRM's bleak financial situation.

Expected to be approved are additions to CIRM'S outside legal contracts that will push the total to more than $1 million for this fiscal year. The figure does not include the salaries and benefits of attorneys on staff.

John M. Simpson of Consumer Watchdog attended the directors' Governance Subcommittee meeting last week and reported that it approved a $180,000 hike (40 per cent) in the $450,000 contract with the law firm of Remcho, Johansen & Purcell of San Leandro, Ca.

It also approved a $180,000, 6-month extension on a contract with attorney Nancy Koch, Simpson said. Koch started with a $150,000 contract last April. It jumped to $245,000 sometime after Nov. 30 and now will total $425,000 by the end of September if it is not extended further, based on the Dec. 22 and March 5 outside contract reports.

No written justification for the increases was provided last week, although Simpson reported that Klein said the money was needed for legal work connected with CIRM's financial troubles and the inquiry by state's Little Hoover Commission. Koch is also supposed to help fill the gap until the new counsel to the president comes on board in July, although CIRM also has a $140,431 arrangement with the state Department of Justice.

In an email, Simpson said the additional funds were approved only after CIRM director Claire Pomeroy, dean of UC Davis School of Medicine, insisted on a written justification prior to final board action on Thursday. Klein said the justification would be forthcoming. Last year, Klein pushed through a 66 per cent hike in Remcho fees with no public, written justification.

Thursday's board meeting can be heard by dialing in 866-254-5934 or using this Internet address – http://65.197.1.15/att/confcast. The access code is 991416. The audiocasts do not provide for participation, however.

The public can hear AND participate in the Sacramento meeting at teleconference locations in Southern California, including the City of Hope, the Salk Institute and two in Los Angeles, one at UCLA and one at the office of CIRM director Jonathan Shestack. Specific addresses can be found on the agenda.

New Counsel to President Hired at CIRM

After an eight-month search, the California stem cell agency has hired an attorney from Genentech to become counsel to its president.

The name of the lawyer was not disclosed but she is scheduled to start at the beginning of July.

The job has been vacant since Tamar Pachter resigned in August and returned to the California State Department of Justice. Pachter was with CIRM only 16 months and had a salary of $225,000 with the title of CIRM general counsel.

If we were to hazard a guess, the new hire will not be earning that much. She will hold the title of counsel to the president. It appears that the general counsel position has been effectively eliminated.

CIRM is rich in legal talent and spending nearly $1.2 million this year for outside legal help.

CIRM President Alan Trounson disclosed that the new hire had been made at a meeting last week of the CIRM Governance Subcommittee, according to John M. Simpson of Consumer Watchdog, who attended the session.

Consumer Watchdog on Obama and CIRM

Consumer Watchdog of Santa Monica, Ca., today released the following statement concerning the California state stem cell agency and the lifting of federal restrictions on funding for stem cell research.

John M. Simpson, stem cell project director for the group, said,

"With word that President Obama intends to lift Bush era restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, California's stem agency needs to think carefully about where to focus California taxpayers' money.
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"Fortunately the agency is in the process of reviewing its strategic plan. Clearly the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine should try to avoid duplicating funding efforts by the National Institutes of Health. CIRM's programs should augment those of the NIH."

Fresh Comment

John M. Simpson of Consumer Watchdog has posted a comment on the "Obama cash source" item, pointing out that the new Podesta lobbying contract slips neatly below the cutoff line for approval by a committee of CIRM directors.

CIRM Calendar Hooha Raises Transparency Issues; Agency Says Calendars Cost $23 Each

The California stem cell agency said today that its 2009 calendar cost $23 apiece and provided figures that indicated the total expense for the calendars was about $35,310.

Based on the numbers provided by CIRM, that seems to mean that 1,535 calendars were printed. Earlier, CIRM said the calendars were sent free to its grant recipients and trainees to remind them "365 days a year where their funding comes from." The agency has 448 recipients and trainees, according to figures on its web site. Calendars were also sent to an unspecified number of "constituents."

In comments on our earlier item on CIRM's 2009 calendar, some readers of this blog said production of expensive, free calendars is a waste of taxpayer money.

Here is the current breakdown on the calendar cost, based on a CIRM report and information supplied by Don Gibbons, chief communications officer for the agency: Printing, $14,000; design, $10,200, and $11,110, which was part of a larger contract.

The $11,110 is a new figure and came today from Gibbons. He said it was part of a $45,000 expenditure with Abbott and Company that CIRM now says was for "image development, office art design and framing." The Abbott contract was initially identified as involving the calendar. After the California Stem Cell Report inquired about the calendar project, the description of Abbott contract was altered on the CIRM web site to remove any mention of a calendar. No footnote was provided on the PDF document to notify the public or directors that a change had been made from an earlier version.

Here is the text of what Gibbons sent earlier today concerning our original item on this subject.

"For the record, you never asked me for the cost per calendar. Instead you chose to make one of your usual worst-case projections. The portion of the Abbott contract that covered the calendar was $11,110, which made the cost per calendar $23. Also, this project began in July, long before the complete budget meltdown."

More than a week ago, we asked Gibbons for the total number printed. He has not provided that number. Following his latest email today, we asked again for that information as well as the number distributed and the cost of postage.

As for our "projections," you can read them here along with our assumptions. They were based on information from CIRM, which was incomplete then and remains incomplete today.

The CIRM calendar is a minor expense in the agency's $13 million operational budget. But outside contracts are not. They now total more than $3 million, up from $2.7 million, as the result of action earlier this week. The outsourcing, which often poses major oversight issues for government agencies, is the second largest category in the budget.

How the agency describes the contracts and other budget items and responds to questions about them is basic to the agency's transparency and openness. The calendar issue is not the only one. A lobbying contract with the Nielsen, Merksamer firm in Sacramento continues to be described as "public education." There may be other fanciful descriptions, but without an examination of contracts and other documents, it is impossible to tell.

Several years ago, CIRM directors initiated the requirement for regular reports on outside contracting because they felt they were not fully informed. While creative budgeting occurs in every organization, without good information it is impossible to make good decisions.

Obviously it is nice to offer gestures of good will to "constituents" and others associated with any enterprise, but CIRM's calendar project came at an impropitious time. The project began shortly after a salary freeze at the CIRM that ran through December. As we remarked then, such freezes affect those on the lower end of the pay scale much more harshly than at the top levels. Perhaps during the holidays, CIRM management could have spread that $35,310 among employees making less than $70,000 a year. That would have been a nice gesture as well.

CIRM Identifies Obama as Cash Source for Its Troubled Lab Projects

California stem cell Chairman Robert Klein says that strapped recipients of CIRM lab construction grants should attempt to tap the nearly $1 trillion Obama stimulus package.

His remarks were contained today in a piece by Ron Leuty of the San Francisco Business Times. Leuty quoted Klein as saying,

"Our grantees are perfectly situated — they’re in construction or about to go. They can clearly demonstrate that they’re going to create jobs."

Leuty wrote that CIRM intends to use its new, $240,000 Washington lobbyist, the Podesta Group, to help snag the cash. Leuty reported,

"The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine — with the help of a well-heeled Washington, D.C., lobbying firm — wants organizations like Novato’s Buck Institute for Age Research to seek some of the $1.5 billion that is earmarked in the $787 billion stimulus package for biomedical research facilities and construction."

Other institutions previously identified as needing to raise more matching funds include the Sanford Stem Cell Consortium (UC San Diego, Scripps, Burnham and Salk) and UC Santa Barbara.

The $240,000 figure is new and comes from a copy of the contract requested from CIRM by the California Stem Cell Report. The total includes expenses plus $20,000 a month from Feb. 11 through Dec. 11, 2009. The contract, which does not need CIRM board approval, can be extended indefinitely by mutual agreement.

If you are interested in a copy of the contract, please send an email to djensen@californiastemcellreport.com.

Obama Watch Chapter 3: Funding Ban to be Lifted on Monday

The Washington Post reported this afternoon that President Obama on Monday will lift the restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research.

According to reporter Rob Stein's story, the move will be announced at an event at 8 a.m. PDT. He cited an email sent out on Thursday from the White House concerning a ceremony at that time "on stem cells and restoring scientific integrity to the government process. At the event the president will sign an executive order related to stem cells."

No other significant details were disclosed.